Volume 17, Issue 1,
May 2006

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The South African Journal of Industrial Engineering publishes
articles with the emphasis on research, development and
application within the fields of Industrial Engineering and
Engineering and Technology Management. The eclectic
collection of articles in this issue reflects the multi-facetted
nature of these engineering fields.
In The development of a strategic industrial engineering
philosophy, the application of industrial engineering principles to
capitalistic systems, to maximise shareholder wealth and to improve the productivity
of capital, is proposed. The topical issue of work reservation for professional
engineers, as provided for in the Engineering Profession Act No. 46 of ..

The proposed expansion of the Industrial Engineering discipline, termed <I>Strategic Industrial Engineering</I>, holds that scientific industrial engineering knowledge may
be applied to capitalistic systems with the strategic goal of maximising wealth for the
corporate shareholders. This paper provides an overview of the development of such
a <I>Strategic Industrial Engineering Philosophy&lt;/I&gt; and discusses the possible application
of this philosophy in improving the capital productivity of an organisation.

The Council for the Built Environment Act, Act No. 43 of 2000, the Engineering
Profession Act, Act No. 46 of 2000 and the Natural Scientific Professions Act, Act
No. 27 of 2003 provide for, amongst others, the establishment of juristic persons
known as councils for the registration of professional, candidate and certified natural
scientists, the registration of professionals, candidates and specified categories in the
engineering profession, and work reservation for all these categories of registered
persons. The question arises: "Which criteria must be met for the scientific and
engineering professions to claim the right to reserve identified work for the
categories of registered persons without infringing the constitutional rights of any
person in South Africa to choose and practice his or her trade, occupation or
profession freely?" The criteria for identifying and defining work for reservation are
discussed, and a few hypothetical examples are given to show that the whole topic is
not a straightforward matter of passing legislation.

Many projects are not completed on time or within the original budget. This is
caused by uncertainty in project variables as well as the occurrence of risk events. A
study was done to determine ways of measuring the risk in development projects
executed by a mining company in South Africa. The main objective of the study was
to determine whether historical project data would provide a more accurate means of
estimating the total project duration. Original estimates and actual completion times
for tasks of a number of projects were analysed and compared. The results of the
study indicated that a more accurate total duration for a project could be obtained by
making use of historical project data. The accuracy of estimates could be improved
further by building a comprehensive project schedule database within a specific industry.

The theory of constraints (TOC) method for managing multiple projects provides a
relatively new and simple heuristic for allocating constrained resources to projects.
While this method is increasingly being used, there is little information about its
merit and it has not yet been subjected to extensive testing. In this paper literature
relevant to the allocation of resources to multiple projects is first reviewed.
Thereafter the TOC method for allocating resources to multiple projects is explained.
Finally the paper reports on an exploratory study to evaluate the effect that the TOC
method for assigning resources has on project duration.

South Africa was one of the first countries in the world that adopted a Systems of
Innovation approach as its policy framework. By adopting this approach, one also
inherits the problems, pitfalls, and challenges of a framework. This paper evaluates
the Systems of Innovation approach from a theoretical, methodological, and policy
perspective. Equipped with this knowledge, researchers can guide their research
efforts, whereas policy makers can design more appropriate policy measures fitting
and stimulating the functioning and effectiveness of a System of Innovation.

The article makes the point that instrumentation is critical to the science and
technology infrastructure. Furthermore, it reports the results of a relevant national
survey. Information is available for three groups - (i) research councils, (ii)
universities, and (iii) technikons, museums and government departments as one
group. This level of aggregation has been chosen in order to assist in the
development of recommendations related to national policy. In addition, the state of
equipment in the country is compared and contrasted with those in a number of
countries abroad. Although it emerges that the Research Councils in South Africa
possess the largest quantity of equipment, for the purpose of this paper, focus is
given to the results of the Universities group since it is felt this provides greater ease
of comparison to other developing countries.

The mining industry is the largest source of foreign income for South Africa. It is
also the main source of employment in the country. The focus of this study was to
investigate the current underground labour planning models used in the platinum
mines and to design an improved planning model for the optimal utilisation of
labour. Financial modelling showed that an additional R38 million was realised for a
platinum mine by increasing revenue on the mining side and at the same time
decreasing labour costs.

Probabilistic risk assessment has advantages over qualitative risk ranking for cases
where choices need to be made that require consideration of variable inputs, where
model sensitivities to variable inputs and their effects are to be studied, and where
more detailed output is required to form the basis of sound and informed decision
making. Monte Carlo Simulation and probability of failure prediction using First
Order Reliability Methods (FORM) both provide this functionality and are used to
both demonstrate the effects of variability on risk assessments for heat induced tyre
failure, and to highlight the advantages of such a probabilistic approach.

A comprehensive optimisation of the cement production process presents a problem
since the input variables as well as the output variables are non-linear, interdependent
and contain uncertainties. To arrive at a solution, a Fuzzy Logic controller has been
designed to achieve a well-defined relationship between the main and vital variables
through the instrumentality of a Fuzzy Model. The Fuzzy Logic controller has been
simulated on a digital computer using MATLAB 5.0 Fuzzy Logic Tool Box, using
data from a local cement production plant.

Data quality, or rather the lack thereof, has been the downfall of many Data
warehousing (DW) / Business Intelligence (BI) projects. The concept of Information
Quality (IQ) has become increasingly important as the popularity of Business
Intelligence (BI) increases. Industrial engineers have played a key role in the
development and implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) principles
that are widely used in the manufacturing environment. In the information era,
industrial engineers can apply the same principles to data. This article aims to
identify strategies and processes to improve IQ that will eventually lead to data
warehouses with complete, accurate and timely data that consistently meets the
requirements of knowledge workers in their quest to make improved business decisions.

The paper presents a comprehensive review of maintenance performance research.
Articles on general surveys, system modelling, and specific applications in industries
are reviewed. The scientific principles underlying maintenance performance research
for the past 30 years are considered. The body of knowledge on maintenance
performance is both quantitatively and qualitatively based. Of the quantitative
approaches are economic and technical ratios, value-based and balanced scorecard,
system audit, strategic, composite formulation, statistical, and partial maintenance
productivity indices. The qualitative approaches include Luck's method, among
others. Qualitative-based approaches are adopted in view of the inherent limitations
of measuring a complex function such as maintenance effectively through
quantitative models. Maintenance decision makers often come to the best conclusion
using heuristics, backed up by qualitative assessment, supported by quantitative measures.